Teen Titans: Next Generation
by Anc321
Summary: The Titans deal with a problem like no other. Secrets, abuse, and a war to destroy them all. Will they band together to fight for their family? Or will they let it all slip away?
1. Prolog

Prolog:

Dark black skies were filled with equally dark clouds as thunder shook the sky. There was a slight chill in the late evening air. The storm had blown in a welcomed cold front during the early June day.

The lights of a bustling city illuminated the ocean bay not far off as the clouds rolled over the cityscape. The dull roar of traffic and night life drowned out the low rumble of thunder above.

The city's night life was indeed alive with great fervor. Night clubs, bars, even the local college's resident frat houses all seemed to be having parties. It was almost like there was a huge party on every corner. All of the city's young adult and even older teenaged citizens seemed to be out and about, enjoying themselves.

There was one nightclub in particular where a "private" party was being held. At this party there was a particular young woman who seemed to be increasingly annoyed.

She stood at a table on the second floor on an overlooking balcony of sorts, just over the dance floor where dozens of people were doing various degrees of "dancing". The lights were bright and the music was loud, and there were people everywhere. None of this seemed to bother this young woman, as she appeared to be looking for a specific person.

Now, many people would admit that this young woman was beautiful, gorgeous even. Some would even go so far as to call her an exotic beauty. She stood at a decent 5'11 and looked to be about 120 to 130 pounds. She had muscle on her, but not so much that she looked like a body builder or anything. Her figure, while thin, was hardly considered to be a stick. Her skin was darkly tanned, and her complexion was clear. Her limbs were long, her legs in particular, seemed to go on forever. Her face was round, and her features were soft. She had high cheekbones, and a small button nose. Her eyes were large, round and dark green like emeralds. Her hair was long, flowing down past her rear, and was a dark red, so dark that most considered it to be auburn.

Her outfit consisted of denim shorts, a hot pink sleeveless shirt that flowed instead of hugging her figure. She wore heeled sandals, choosing to be both comfortable and cute. Her makeup was light, and her hair was down. Many a young male eyed her, and even made several lucrative comments both to and about her in passing, but she paid them no mind. She stood there, with a drink, waiting on someone.

She sighed as she nervously played with a small ring on her right hand. It was so small that most people wouldn't ever notice it unless they were to thoroughly examine her person. However, she noticed it. Not nearly as much as she had once, when she had been younger, but it was still noticeable when she put it on and took it off.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice the young man approaching her from behind.

Now, most people would consider him to be extremely good looking, however for her, he was merely easy on the eyes. He was tall, roughly 6' or so, and had about 200 to 250 pounds worth of muscle on him. Although it was very noticeable when he was wearing a jacket or coat of any kind. He was more towards the slender side, had an angular face, sharp jaw and nose and firm chin. His eyes were a dark blue and he had blonde hair that was always neatly combed and was never out of place. His smile was what always gave her pause. It was...cold. Calculating. As were his eyes. There was something there that she couldn't put her fingers on, but it always gave her goosebumps, and in the wrong way.

This evening he was wearing jeans, boots, a black muscle t shirt and a sports jacket.

He placed his hand on her back as he came up to her and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "Hey gorgeous." He whispered in her ear.

She gave a slight jump when she felt a hand on her back, but relaxed a bit when she realized who it was. She allowed a small smile to grace her delicate lips on the outside, but couldn't help but to notice the chided that went down her spine when he whispered in her ear.

She turned to face him, pretending to be annoyed.

"And where have you been? It's almost 11:30." She lightly reprimanded.

He chuckled as that cold smile came across his face. "I know, I said to meet up at 11:30." He knew the jig was up when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, you distinctly said 11. I remember. I even wrote it down." She said shaking her head.

He playfully rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. You got me. I got caught up with some business in the back, but now I'm here and I'm ready to have some fun."

She gave him a skeptical look, but agreed by taking his hand.

They spent the next hour drinking, mingling, dancing and talking. They were having a good time. The lights, the music, the people, the alcohol. At one point the young woman realized that she was feeling a little buzzed, so she began to sip slowly and request water instead of alcohol. She had learned to never drink so much that you can't tell where you are or what you were doing consciously.

Around 12:30ish, one of the bouncers came up to the young mad and whispered something in his ear. When the bouncer had finished speaking, the youn mans smile was long gone, and a very serious look had replaced it.

He immediately stood from the table where they were sitting, and made apologies to the rest of the group of young people they were with. After a quick peck on the cheek, and a mumbled "I'll be right back" he rushed off with the bouncer.

Time passes, and he still didn't show.

The conversation ended and their friends all left one by one. Still no sign.

The lights seemed to slow, as the music began to lessen in volume. No show.

The crowd numbers began to dwindle, the bouncers escorting imparted customers to taxis as the wait staff began to clean. Still no sign.

She was sitting at the bar stirring her water absently when she looked at her phone for the tome. 2:30. She sighed. He always did this. It always happened. He would take off with no explanation and be gone for hours on end. One time it had been days before she even heard from him again.

She couldn't take it anymore, she was done. She was tired, board and wanted nothing more than a hot shower and her own bed. She looked at her phone again. 2:45. She huffed. She was 20 years old, grown, had an apartment and a job of her own, but if she didn't call or text soon the guys would worry and send out a search party.

She sat up straight and looked around. The place was empty, the regular lights on, and the staff cleaning up, the last customer having left ages ago. The bartender came around to her side of the bar and began to clean glasses. She looked at him and made up her mind.

"Where's Howie?" She asked him. He looked at her with reluctance.

"How long has it been this time?" He said carefully.

"Two hours." The guy has enough decency to wince.

"He's in the back...," she immediately got up and started walking towards the back of the club where the offices and storage rooms were. "But I really don't think you want to go back there!" He called after her. His warning fell of deaf ears.

She made her way down the long, dark, smoke filled hall, looking for his office. ' _This is it,'_ she thought. ' _I'm leaving and going home no matter WHAT he says...'_

She heard voices coming from the room on her right just ahead. As she got close she heard Howie's voice and it didn't sound pleased. For half a second she thought about knocking, but then she heard shouting from inside and just opened the door. As soon as she did she wished to X'hal that she hadn't.

There, on Howie's desk sat two open cases. One was filled with millions of dollars. The other, weapons. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she had just walked in on an arms deal.

She stood there, wide eyed and frozen. And for a minute, everyone else was too. Besides Howie, there was the bouncer from earlier, an Asian man and a person whom she assumed was the Asian man's bodyguard.

For a second, nobody moved. Then Howie started shaking his head at the floor. "Damn it Kori..." he said softly. The three other men began to shuffle their feet and avoiding looking at her, seeming very uncomfortable.

Still eyeing the cases on the desk, she turned to Howie, decision made.

"I was coming back here to tell you that I'm going home, however now I'm telling you that we're through." She turned to leave and added, "and I'm going home." She quickly left, slamming the door behind her.

She couldn't get out of that building fast enough. Rain was in the air as she began her hike back to the tower. She could have flown, but there was simply no joy in her body to draw on. In hindsight she should have told Vic that she needed a ride, or that she was leaving at least. But noooooo, she just had to walk.

She sniffled away the tears as she tried to fight the lightheaded dizziness. ' _I didn't drink that much did I...?'_ She thought as she stumbled down the now abandoned street.

She never saw him coming. He grabbed her from behind a dragged her into an alley off the street. She was so surprised and so dizzy that she didn't fight back.

Not when he dragged her farther down the dark alleyway.

Not when he shoved her up against the wall.

Not when he was yelling and growling at her did she push him away.

Nor did she fight when he began to touch her.

Or when she felt his hot breath on her neck and his rough hands bruising her arms.

Only when she felt her shorts slip did she fight her dizziness and begin to push him away.

He pushed back. And harder.

She told him no. He got closer.

She hit him. He got back. And harder.

She yelled no. He strangled her.

Her vision began to darken as she felt him pull her shorts down...

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Pain. That was all she felt. Pain, soreness, stiffness. She moaned as she tried to get her bearings. She was in an alley, she knew that. She also knew what had happened to her. She remembered the whole thing. Every single, nightmarish detail.

She slowly lifted her head. It was still dark. She closed her eyes. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She didn't want to move. But she couldn't stay. She rolled over onto her side and slowly sat up, wincing as she did.

While she couldn't see much, she could feel the blood and bruises that covered her body. Her underwear were laying on the ground next to her ankle, and her shorts latex a few feet away. Her top has looked better, so had her hair. Howie, thank X'hal, was long gone.

This was nothing new to her. She couldn't remember how many times this had happened to her when she had been a prisoner to the Gordainians, Pisons, and the Citidel. But no matter how many times it happened, it was still devastating.

She sat there for a moment, gazing at nothing. She then took a deep breath and got up. She reached for her clothes and pulled them on. She didn't want the guys to see her like this. They would pity her and try to help her. They would baby her and coddle her. Then they would hunt down Howie and kill him, moral rules in place or not.

She shook her head. No, it was best if they never knew. If no one ever knew. She resolved that she would stay at her apartment instead and reached for her phone.

There were 3 new messages. Two from Vic and one from Gar.

 **Vic:** _you_ _coming_ _home_ _anytime soon?_

 **Vic:** _k_ _ori, if you're not home soon I'm sendin out the search party_

 **Gar:** _when are yo_ _u comin home? At least text us, Vic's this close to blowin a fuse or somethin. At least tell us you're ok._

She sighed.

 _Guys, I'm fine. Staying at the apartment. Nothing wrong, just need some alone time._

Message sent, she began walking.

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She huffed, blowing a strand of a stray red hair out of her face. She began to examine herself in the mirror.

It had been nearly three weeks since the incident, and she had managed to hide it. Using makeup and wearing long sleeves and long pants had done the trick.

Now she looked at herself in the mirror of her apartment bathroom, without makeup on. There was still remnants of a black eye, and minor discolorments everywhere else. Even with her advanced healing, it had taken a while for the bruising to begin to heal. Now, you could barely tell that there had ever been any strange bruises in the first place.

She sighed and looked down. The day after the incident she had sent in anonymous tips to both the police and the Titans about Howie. She had then proceeded to take a long bath, then cover any evidence of the previous night with makeup and clothing.

After being satisfied that no one would notice, she went back to the tower, where she was met with long, overprotective brother conversations about Howie from both Gar and Vic due to an anonymous tip that they had received earlier that morning. After convincing them that she had already ended things with him, they began their search.

The first week she had been sore, but mostly functional.

The second week she had been less sore and more tired, but was still functional.

The beginning of the third week she felt nauseous, but dismissed it as nervous.

The night she threw up three times for no reason and no fever, she marched down to the drug store and bought a box of tests.

She didn't actually take one until she had caught a glimpse at a calander and did some quick period math.

And here she was.

She looked at the timer on her phone and then on he instructions on the box. 'One minute my foot...longest minute of my life...' she thought anxiously.

Her timer went off.

She grabbed the stick.

The she grabbed her phone.

Opening up her contacts, she found the number she was looking for and hit the button.

After three and a half rings a gravelly voice answered on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"...Kori?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

She sighed.

"I need your help."

"Kori I what happened?"

"Raven, I'm pregnant."

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 _Month 1_

She looked at the room with mixed feelings. She was glad that she would be safe and that she would be with her friend again. But she was also sad that she wouldn't see her other friends for awhile.

But no one could know. Ever.

"I hope you like it." Raven stood in the doorway gauging her friends reaction to the room. She also made a mental note of the lack of floating.

"It is most glorious, Raven. I shall be very happy here."

Raven sofented.

"Kori, you don't have to be happy. You just have to be safe and comfortable."

Kori let out a sigh. "But I wish to be happy. I have had so many chances so many times, and yet they all manage to slip away. I want one to come and remain."

Raven nodded in understanding. "I know Kori, I do. And if anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. Believe me when I say that motherhood will be the best thing to ever happen to you. No matter how it came to you."

Kori seemed to brighten a little at this. Raven smiled.

"Good, now, the kids are anxious to play with their Aunt Kori..." she trailed off as she walked out of the room.

Kori smilied.

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 _Month 2_

Kori flushed the toilet. For the fifth time that day. She leaned back against the opposite wall, tired of being sick.

She looked down at her stomach.

"You better be worth it."

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 _Month 2_

"Breathe."

"I-I'm t-trying"

"Kori"

Kori clutched a couch pillow rocking back and forth. Raven stood in front of her with an 18 month old on her hip.

"I-I need to..."

"You're not calling him."

"But..."

Raven sighed. She sat down next to kori and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"The only thing calling him will do is make things harder on everyone, you especially."

"But...my powers..."

"Kori, you'll be ok, I promise. We knew this was going to happen. We just need to get used to it. You're going to be fine."

Kori nodded. Losing her powers wasn't a big deal...was it?

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 _Month 4_

"No."

"But, friend Raven..."

"No Kori."

"Please?!??"

"I said no, stop doing The Eyes. You know it doesn't work on me."

"But..."

"Mint frosting does NOT go on barbecue Kori."

"Finnnnneeee...what about mustard?"

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 _Month 5_

"Raven!!!!!!"

Raven nearly broke something running into the room so fast.

"What? What's wrong?" She panted.

Kori smiles so big Raven was surprised that it didn't break her face.

"Look."

Kori stood in front of a mirror in leggings and a tank top. She gestured to her abdomen. Sure enough, there was a small baby bump.

Raven smiled.

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 _Month 6_

Wailing*

Screaming*

Righteous Fury*

Insessent Crying*

Jouys Cries*

Azar, Raven hated mood swings.

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 _Month 8_

She was waddleing. Violet said she looked like a penguin.

"Penguin!"

Apparently John agreed.

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 _Month 9_

"RAVEN!!!!!!!"

"What?!?"

"My water broke."

It was time.

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 _Ta-da_

47 hours, lots of screaming, crying and meditating later, a new life was brought into the world.

Kori sat in the bed holding her new daughter looking at her with more admiration, awe, and love than she could ever imagine possible for one person.

Raven looked on with a knowing smilie. She looked at her new niece with content and amazement. It was baffling how something so small, innocent and sweet could come from something so evil. She shuddered. Whatever happened now, this amazing new life would have a village of people who would love and take care of her.

"So what are you gonna name her?" Raven asked quietly so as to not wake the baby.

Kori looked at her daughter thoughtfully before answering.

"Airen. Airen Michelle Anders."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I am officially back from the holidays!! So I know that the prolog was a little vague, but I'm using it to set up the story. Same for the first couple chapters, but trust me. Hang in there and it'll start to pick up. Just an FYI, I'm a HUGE fan of cliff hangers, sooooo...be for-warned. Ok, so we've got the prolog, now we need...a story! That would be helpful right? Ok, ok, I'm getting there. One more thing...Review! I really want to know what you guys think about this story, so don't be shy! Ok, story time!!!!**

 **Also: Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans**

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Chapter 1

 _18 years later..._

Soft music and lulled conversations drifted from a bar off of a backstreet in the main city. It was mid afternoon and the heat from the dessert wafted into the establishment through the open door and windows.

Outside the streets were deserted, the heat of the day already taking its toll. The eerie quiet from the many buildings only made the noises coming from the bar magnified in volume.

Inside several booths and private tables lined the outside wall. Across the room the main bar ran across a majority of the back wall. Bench stools were lined up and pushed up under the bar's ledge.

A bartender stood behind the bar cleaning glasses for that night's inevitable crowd. At the bar sat a couple of weary souls nursing their drinks and quietly contemplating the reason they were in a bar at 3 in the afternoon. A handful of people were spread out throughout the rest of the bar, some quietly talking amongst themselves, others watching the Univeral News Telobraodcast on the multiple screens set up around the room.

In a dark back corner an even darker figure sat, an ice cold beverage sitting on the table, untouched, in front of him. Smoke slowly billowed from the area where his face would be, if one could see through the shadows to see his face.The figure sat there, watching the news telobraodcast on the screen above his table.

"Well Gene, if you want my opinion, I think this whole arrangement is worthless. I mean, why force one of the most, if not the most, powerful royal families to fight for their own crown? I mean, it is a monarchy after all, if you're born into it, you're born into it! If you're not, you're not! It's as simple as that!"

"Yes Marx, we know. But not everything can be as simple as that. Take the marital alliance for example. If the princess doesn't win the tournament, she still has to go through with her marriage to Prince Orben, the crown prince of Octener. Now that makes no sense. If she's going to lose the tournament and lose her title, her position, basically her everything, why should she have to go through with an arranged marriage that was based on all of those things!?"

The third news anchor shook his head. "I'll tell you what doesn't make sense. The bloke that she's marrying in the first place. While Octener is in need of an alliance of this size and stature, Tameran, however, is not. In fact, it's a reasonably large step down for Tameran to go through with this alliance. While Tameran is quite large and has a great deal of resources to bring to the table on this, Octener does not. It would be an incredible disadvantage for Tameran to go through with this."

"While I agree with you Clyde, who else is there for the princess to marry that can fit those standards, both as a person and as a people?"

Just then a picture of a young man appeared on the screen. He was human and had dark hair, tan skin and slightly pointed ears. His eyes were a dark emerald green and his smile was cocky, somewhat arrogant. There was a tooth that was sharper than the rest of his teeth. It was off to the side, but it was still noticeable.

"His royal highness, Prince Hawk of Azarath! He's perfect! He's only two years older than the princess, he's the second born so he is not the crowned heir of the entire kingdom, so he could move to Tameran and rule as king next to the princess once she was crowned queen, and there would be no confusion as to who would move where or inherit what. Like there is with Prince Orben. He's the first born, and therefore the heir of Octener. No one knows if he will move to Tameran or if the princesses will move to Octener. Meanwhile, while Prince Hawk is the second born, Azarath is one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms in the entire universe, therefore he will still have a sizable inheritance."

The news casters continued their debate over who was more suitable for the princess, a few even introduced a few more candidates for consideration. In the end they all agreed that Prince Hawk was the only logical choice.

Suddenly a knife landed in the middle of the screen, causing it to come to a complete halt. The whole room fell silent. Even the music seemed to take on a quieter tone. Everyone turned to look at the corner where the knife had come from. The figure from earlier was long gone, the only evidence of his presence was an empty glass sitting on the table, condensation still glistening on the surface of the glass, as well as enough money to pay for the drink and a new screen.

Bartender and customers alike looked to the screen to see what had upset the man so much. There, with a knife through the heart, was a picture of the Crown Princess of Tameran.

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Swing. Jab. Hit.

 _Go for their weakness._

Jump.

 _Pain. Do whatever will cause them pain. Of any kind._

Swing.

 _Blood. Always draw blood. The more blood, the better._

Back. Jump. Push. Stab.

 _Go for the kill. When you_ _kill, make it meaningful._

Run. Swing. Hit.

 _And always..._

Jab.

 _Always..._

Jump.

 _Be the one left standing._

Tackle.

Sheeston'kur hit the ground. Hard. The point of my tah'al slipped under his chin and raised it just enough so he could see me.

"Gattcha."

He snarled and rolled his eyes. He did not like being defeated. He struggled for a moment, but soon realized that his efforts were futile and gave up. He then tapped out.

I released him from the hold I had used to pin him and stood. He slowly followed me off the floor.

It had become our normal to train everyday for at least two hours. Sheeston had been my friend since I was very young, and had been helping me train for years. Today was no exception.

"Face it Sheest, your student has become the master." I said with a smirk.

Sheeston'kur wasn't a horrible looking guy. In fact most of the girls around our age (or any other age for that matter) in the palace thought he was the handsomest guy in the universe. He was the heartthrob of Tameran. He even had the money and title to go with the looks.

He stood at about 6'1 and was built completely of muscle, but in a slender way. He had shoulder length, fiery red hair, just like every other Tameranian. He had orange tinted skin and dark green eyes, again, just like every other Tameranian.

He had high cheekbones and sharp angular facial features. So I guess he was nice to look at, sure, but I didn't find him die hard attractive.

He looked me out of the corner of his eye. "My student, is arrogant and cocky. That will get her into trouble when the time comes to fight for real."

He had the brains too. He was super smart and even held an honerary advisory position in his fathers political office. His father was a senator in the Tameranian court.

I leaned up against the tah'al and watched him start to clean up. He held himself with confidence and acted and worked with determination. True skills of a natural born leader and warrior. Unlike me.

I huffed in exasperation and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. But, seriously, why fight at all? It's just a throne."

"The throne is not something to be dismissed so quickly. Especially when it is the throne of an entire planet."

The cool, smooth voice came from the dark corner of the room. I had my back to the speaker, but I didn't need to them to know who it was.

At the sound of her voice, Sheeston stood up straight, turned around and slammed his right forearm to his chest, then bowed very stiffly. I just rolled my eyes.

"Hi Mom."

Stepping out of the shadows, the cold and graceful woman looked at Sheeston and the guards and dissmissed them with a simple, "leave us", and a wave of her hand.

Sheeston met my gaze and gave me a concernd look. He knew just as well as I did that I had missed an important ceremony earlier. He also knew how dealing with my mom could be.

I gave him a small nod. He took that as his que and left with the guards.

Once they had all left, she turned to me.

"And where were you?"

I kept my back to her as I began to pick up various weapons and equipment off the ground.

"Where was I when?"

I knew I was in trouble and that playing dumb would get me no where, but I had to try.

I could feel her glare on my back as I continued to avoid turning around.

"For the ceremony. You missed it."

"Ohhh, that. Yeah, I didn't want to go."

I finally turned and faced her. The anger in her eyes was unmistakable and unforgiving. I gulped. That was the same look that enemy warriors saw just before they surrendered.

"You embarrassed me! The entire kingdom was there, waiting to see you. And what happens? Nothing! You want to know why?"

She started pacing back and forth, her arms clasped firmly behind her back.

"Not really." I mumbled to myself.

I hung my head to study my boots. How interesting they were...

"Because you weren't there. How could you do such a thing to me?"

I often question my sanity. So do the few people who know me. We are all very concerned for my health. Especially when it is in the hands of my mother. And even though I had a small voice in the back of my head saying it wasn't a good idea, I chose to be a smart mouth...

"Well, not the whole kingdom was there, I mean Sheeston and a few gaurds were in here with me...and then there are the other gaurds around the palace..."

Again, I could feel the glare on my head as I avoided direct eye contact.

"Don't you get smart with me young lady. You know very well that you were supposed to be there, and you weren't."

She paused.

"What have you been doing anyway?"

I looked up to face her. "Training."

She raised an eyebrow. "Training?"

I sighed. "Yes training. Training for **your** stupid tournament for the freakin crown..."

In reality, pissing of my mom was probably not the **best** idea in the world. And it took guts too. She was dressed to the nines in her formal gown, robes, partial armor and crown. She looked terrifying. Again, many times during my childhood my siblings have actually questioned my sanity for purposefully angering Mom. Again, there were a few instances when I questioned my sanity. But those were the very rare instances when I went **way** to far and Mom got super mad. This was turning into one of those times.

"The crown is not some trivial thing to be disrespected. It is important to our culture, our society, and our lives. If you knew what I have gone through to keep..." she paused as if she was thinking about something. She got a sad, far off look in her eyes for about a millisecond before she shook it off and continued. "This is not a trivial matter. It is important. And it is important that you fight for it and keep it in our family. This is not something to be taken lightly."

Her anger flared in her eyes and she spoke in a calm and cool voice. That was how you knew when she was really angry. She was calm.

She took a deep breath and seemed to relax a little.

"It doesn't matter now. You missed the ceremony. Fine. But the party is in a few hours, and that you will **NOT** miss."

With that and a wide sweep of her dress and robes she was gone.

I took a look around the gym like room. There was training equipment and shelves lining the walls all around the room. A section of the hard rock floor was outlined by benches for fighting and training.

It was still a mess from Sheest's and I's training/work out.

I looked back at the door and sighed. I hung my head and let my shoulders droop.

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I stepped out of the shower feeling somewhat relaxed. Long, hot showers always made me feel more relaxed. Steam filled the room to the point where I could barley see. Having a tolerance for extreme temperatures sometimes let things like hot showers get a little outta hand.

I grabbed the white, fluffy towel off of the counter, wrapped up and opened the door. A cool breeze from my bedroom sent goosebumps across my skin.

I walked over to my vanity mirror to find my hair brush. Finding it, I stood in front of the mirror brushing out the tangles in my wet hair. As the brush ran through my long hair, I started to think about how I looked. I thought about how my hair was so different from every other Tameranian's hair.

My hair is long, and blonde. Like, yellow blonde. It's really weird here, because every one else either has black hair or firey red hair. Mine? Bright, light, golden blonde.

I put my hair brush down and let my towel fall to the floor. Turning in the mirror I began to examine myself.

As if the color of my hair wasn't enough of a difference, my skin was noticeably different too. While everyone else's skin held an orange tint to it, mine was simply a light bronze tone. My height difference was noticeable too. While everyone else was tall and skinny, I was considered small and curvy.

I slowly turned, looking from my back to my front, looking at everything I could. As I went, I mentally compared myself to my mom, sister and aunt. Mom had firey red hair and orange tinted skin, so did my sister and my aunt, but they had jet black hair instead of red. All three of them were tall, mom and Aunt Komi standing at about 5'11, and Mar'i standing at about 5'6, 5'7 ish, which is a lot taller than I was at her age. They were all skinny, I mean, they had figures, sure, but nothing overly noticeable. They were perfect.

Me? I stand at about 5'8 and while I'm not anywhere near being overweight or anything, I still had much more of a figure than the other women in my family. Like I said, light bronze tone skin, long golden hair that flowed past my waist and muscle. The years of training had built up my physic enough for it to be noticeable.

My face was round and soft, with high cheekbones and a small nose. My eyes are the only things that are normal. They're bright green and have a mix of several other colors in the iris. Colors like blue, brown, gray and gold. Some might go so far as to call them pretty, but I couldn't think of anyone who would.

I sighed and moved on from features to scars. The white lines covered my body from head to toe in every shape and size. Literally. Each of them told a story too. " _Scars are something to be proud of. Every scar stands for a battle fought and won."_

The words of my instructor on Osaye came to my mind as I examined every scar that I had.

From the scars that crisscrossed my back, curtesy of several whips, all the way to barbed wire imprints wrapped around my ankle. My entire body was literally a map of torture methods.

I sighed. Again. It's a bad habit.

I moved over to my wardrobe full of ceremonial and formal clothes. I opened it up and just stared. It was all pretty much nothing but purple. I was sick of purple.

There was a sudden banging on my door. It was so loud and so sudden that I jumped 3 feet in the air.

"X'hal..." I muttered under my breath. "Yes?" I said once I had calmed my breathing.

"Air'i! Hurry! You must come see this!!!" The voice of my little sister sounded urgent.

"Coming!" I yelled at the door. I then proceeded to quickly dress in what we called chamber clothes, which just meant we only wore them around our private chambers. This particular category of clothes consisted of sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts, tanks and other comfortable clothes from Earth. We weren't allowed to wear them around the rest of the palace, heck, we weren't even allowed to wear them around our private chambers if O'ran was home.

This was because Mom didn't want anyone to know that she still had possessions from Earth. Mostly because it was against the law. It would also called her loyalty into question.

I threw on a pair of sweatpants, a tank top, and a hoodie. I then grabbed a pair of socks and threw them on and left the safety and privacy of my room.

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 **Hey guys, again, sooooooo sorry it took so long to update.**

 **Anyway, to find out who the mysterious knife thrower is, and what's going on in general you'll have to keep reading!!**

 **I will say, that because I've been so busy, I might not continue this story. If you want this story to continue please review!! I will probably only continue if I get reviews saying that y'all want more.**

 **So please read and review!! Thanks!!!**


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